NIA to probe arrest of three Kashmiri students: Punjab DGP

The students were arrested last month in a joint operation by the Punjab Police and Special Operations Group (SoG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police from the hostel of CT Institute of Engineering Management and Technology in Shahpur, on the outskirts of Jalandhar. (Representational)

The Centre and the Punjab government have decided to hand over the investigations into the case involving the arrest of three armed Kashmiri students, associated with Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH), to the NIA, Punjab DGP Suresh Arora said Saturday.

The students were arrested last month in a joint operation by the Punjab Police and Special Operations Group (SoG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police from the hostel of CT Institute of Engineering Management and Technology in Shahpur, on the outskirts of Jalandhar. Two weapons, including an Assault Rifle, were seized from them.

The decision to hand over the case was taken after discussions between the state government and Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Initial investigations had revealed that the students, identified as Zahid Gulzar, Mohammad Idriss Shah and Yusuf Rafiq Bhatt, were linked with AGH, a Kashmir-based terrorist outfit with reported links to JeM.